{"id":581785,"date":"2023-07-07T22:31:10","date_gmt":"2023-07-07T19:31:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/controversy-surrounds-us-decision-to-send-cluster-munitions-to-ukraine\/"},"modified":"2023-07-07T22:31:10","modified_gmt":"2023-07-07T19:31:10","slug":"controversy-surrounds-us-decision-to-send-cluster-munitions-to-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/controversy-surrounds-us-decision-to-send-cluster-munitions-to-ukraine\/","title":{"rendered":"#Controversy surrounds US decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a39e866080be\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a39e866080be\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/controversy-surrounds-us-decision-to-send-cluster-munitions-to-ukraine\/#Concerns_for_accuracy\" >Concerns for accuracy<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/07\/ryderpat_pentagon_07062023_AP-e1688757997771.jpg?w=900\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The Biden administration <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roved the transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraine on Friday, sparking concern from human rights groups and some congressional lawmakers over the weapon\u2019s ability to harm civilians and children long after the bombs have fallen.<\/p>\n<p>Cluster munitions are dropped by aircraft or fired by a ground-based weapons system over a target area, spreading out a few dozen to hundreds of submunitions. The weapons are valued militarily because they can strike multiple targets.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>But the weapons are banned by more than 100 countries because the submunitions spread out imprecisely, often fail to detonate and remain as explosive hazards for decades.<\/p>\n<p>Washington\u2019s green light to deliver the cluster munitions to Kyiv comes as Ukrainian forces are expending high rates of ammunition and are making slow progress in the counteroffensive that began last month.<\/p>\n<p>Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl said the U.S. bomblets would \u201ckeep Ukraine in the fight\u201d as they work through dug-in Russian defenses, which he described as \u201chard sledding.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe worst thing for civilians in Ukraine is to lose the war,\u201d Kahl said. \u201cWe want to make sure that the Ukrainians have sufficient artillery to keep them in the fight in the context of the current counteroffensive, and because things are going a little slower than some had hoped.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kahl argued the U.S.-provided munitions have a much lower dud or failure rate while the Pentagon was working with Ukraine to minimize damage to civilians from the munitions, including winning assurances from Kyiv to provide accurate assessments on where they are used. He said the munitions were a temporary \u201cbridge\u201d as defense production ramps up to produce more regular artillery shells.<\/p>\n<p>At least 38 human rights organizations have publicly opposed the transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraine, where the weapons have already been used in the war to devastating effect.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cThese are already all over the country and will need to be cleaned up. That is not a good enough excuse for the United States to be sending more,\u201d said Sarah Yager, the Washington director at Human Rights Watch (HRW). \u201cLegislators, policymakers and the Biden administration will probably think twice when the pictures start coming back of children who have been harmed by American-made cluster munitions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kyiv has long requested the cluster munitions. Ukrainian officials have asked for nearly every advanced weapon system from western allies.<\/p>\n<p>After the U.S. decision leaked, Ukrainian presidential office adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said \u201cthe number of weapons matters\u201d in the \u201cgreat bloody war\u201d with Russia.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cSo, weapons, more weapons, and more weapons, including cluster munitions,\u201d <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Podolyak_M\/status\/1677253680880336897\">Podolyak tweeted on Friday<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Eighteen members of the Western security alliance NATO have banned cluster munitions and are unlikely to approve of the decision to transfer them to Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>Germany\u2019s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Friday that Berlin stands by a major treaty banning the use of the weapons, according to several <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> reports.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr4_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>NATO Secretary-<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General<\/a> Jens Stoltenberg declined to comment on the U.S. decision but said at a Friday news conference that individual members were free to make their own choices regarding the weapons.<\/p>\n<p>Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said \u201cunity continues to remain very strong\u201d across the alliance during a Thursday briefing.<\/p>\n<p>The cluster munitions headed to Ukraine include those for a 155 millimeter Howitzer artillery gun, part of a broader package for Kyiv announced Friday.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr5_ab\"><\/aside>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Concerns_for_accuracy\"><\/span>Concerns for accuracy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Congress passed a law in 2009 that says the U.S. cannot deploy or transfer cluster munitions with a dud rate higher than 1 percent. The president can sign a waiver to bypass that restriction. Existing laws also prohibit the use of the weapons in civilian areas.<\/p>\n<p>Ryder on Thursday said they have \u201cmultiple variants\u201d of cluster munitions and Washington would not deliver those with a rate higher than 2.35 percent. He said they would select the lowest rate possible. Kahl confirmed the same figure on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>But human rights groups have said the Pentagon has not been transparent with the data on dud rates and are calling for more clarity. There is also concern about accuracy and that some bombs, including the 155 mm weapons, have a much higher failure rate than reported.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr6_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Both Russia and Ukraine have allegedly used cluster munitions in the war so far, which human rights organizations say has led to civilian deaths.<\/p>\n<p>Russia\u2019s dud rate is reportedly as high as 40 percent, while Ukraine\u2019s is as high as 20 percent, according to Yager from HRW. Yager also said the bombs already deployed constitute a $73 billion cleanup effort.<\/p>\n<p>The Pentagon maintains the cluster munitions could help Ukraine advance and stop the Russian bombings. But\u00a0Eric Eikenberry, the government relations director at Win Without War, countered the argument as \u201cspeculative.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr7_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve already seen this in conflict,\u201d Eikenberry said, dismissing \u201cthe idea that these are going to be a huge boon, the counteroffensive is going to jet forward and we\u2019re going to save lives in the aggregate because these are going to be the wonder weapons that flip the battlefield in our favor and takes Russian artillery out of commission.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Eikenberry said the U.S. was losing its moral high ground by providing the weapons, which he said has been key to maintaining a cohesive international coalition backing Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re starting to introduce chinks in the armor of the moral argument Ukrainians have in the situation,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n<p>Cluster munitions have been used since World War II and have led to tens of thousands of civilian casualties, particularly in Laos, where the U.S. dropped millions of bombs in the \u201860s and \u201870s. Civilians in Laos still struggle to overcome unexploded ordnance.\u00a0The U.S. last deployed cluster munitions in Iraq in 2003.<\/p>\n<p>Along with Russia and Ukraine, the U.S. is not a party to a major 2008 treaty, the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clusterconvention.org\/states-parties\/\">Convention on Cluster Munitions<\/a>, signed by 123 countries. Signatories pledge not to use cluster munition weapons in war.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans on the House and Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees have supported cluster munitions for Ukraine.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The chairs of each committee <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/armedservices.house.gov\/sites\/republicans.armedservices.house.gov\/files\/03-21-23_dpicm_letter%20(1).pdf\">sent a letter <\/a>earlier this year to Biden requesting the approval of the weapons, saying U.S. versions were \u201chighly effective\u201d and advanced enough to minimize damage against civilians.<\/p>\n<p>Several Democrats have voiced opposition to the cluster munitions package.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Chrissy Houlihan (D-Pa.), co-chair of the bipartisan Unexploded Ordnance and Demining Caucus, said \u201cvictory cannot come at the expense of our American values and thus democracy itself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCluster munitions are indiscriminate, and I strongly oppose providing these weapons to Ukraine,\u201d she said in a statement. \u201cThere are some who will say that these weapons are necessary to level the battlefield given Russia\u2019s reported use of them.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo those individuals, I challenge the notion that these weapons are the most effective support we can provide Ukraine right now,\u201d the lawmaker added. \u201cI challenge the notion that we should employ the same tactics Russia is using, blurring the lines of moral high ground.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Copyright 2023 Nexstar <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Media<\/a> Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more News articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/policy\/defense\/4085887-ukraine-russia-us-cluster-munitions-controversy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Biden administration approved the transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraine on Friday, sparking concern from human rights groups and some congressional lawmakers over the weapon\u2019s ability to harm civilians and children long after the bombs have fallen. Cluster munitions are dropped by aircraft or fired by a ground-based weapons system over a target area,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":581786,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/07\/ryderpat_pentagon_07062023_AP-e1688757997771.jpg?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[134344,134343,144341,144342,134418,134353,73798,134447,134904,70289],"class_list":["post-581785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-administration","tag-campaign","tag-cluster-munitions","tag-colin-kahl","tag-congress-blog","tag-court-battles","tag-defense","tag-energy-and-environment","tag-russia-ukraine-war","tag-senate"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581785","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=581785"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581785\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/581786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=581785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=581785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=581785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}